INDY-CISION: Donnie Walsh (above), whose Knicks consultant deal is about to expire, has been tipped to return to the Pacers, but Peter Vecsey isn’t buying it. Photo: Jeff Zelevansky

Donnie Walsh and I have been playing a little game for almost three decades. This is how it works: I call and leave a message, asking for verification on this, that or the third thing. No response means he can’t tell me the truth and doesn’t want to lie.

Thus, I’m on my own to figure out the answer.

Yesterday, I tried to contact Walsh via cell phone and email. Over the weekend, the Indianapolis Star reported the former Knicks’ president, whose non-consultancy with the team ends June 30 — his extraordinary West Side apartment vacated a minute ago — is returning to the Pacers’ front office, where he worked round-the-clock since before being entrapped in 2008 by James Dolan.

The report stated Walsh would be hired in “some capacity,” either as a complement to team president Larry Bird or as his replacement.

Enthused by the Pacers’ auspicious future he carved out, Larry Legend changed his mind about retiring to Florida — and now …

It’s unfathomable to think owner Herb Simon has any problem with that decision. Still, his stalling and flip-flopping might be held against him.

Seemingly, it’s done, though that could be deceiving. Kevin Pritchard, meanwhile, is making trade calls for the Pacers. Quietly, he was installed as GM, succeeding the universally mistrusted and iridescently dense David Morway.

Pritchard had the same title with the Blazers, who let him go two seasons ago. Briefly a Celtics’ teammate of Bird, he has been on call as a much-utilized consultant for over a year.

When in Indy, Pritchard made a point to break bread as often as possible with Walsh, whom I’ve yet to hear back from.

Once again, Walsh has left me hanging.

So, I’m forced to take a very educated guess.

Sources say Bird is leaving but not entirely; he’ll be retained as a distant consultant for a year. Meaning Walsh will be back in control, though that’s not set stone.

Simon, who lives in Southern California, is back in Indy, which is why an announcement of the change is expected momentarily.

* Man, am I sorry for answering back Gregg Popovich a few years ago, telling him, “I’d be a registered genius, too, if I coached Tim Duncan.”

Seems you almost can’t get a GM job (long my aspiration) these days unless you have a connection in some way with the Spurs’ certified Hall of Famer-to-be (I’m catching on) and he has affection for you.

Without Pop’s papal seal of approval, it’s tough out there.

In 2005, two years removed from (in)active duty with the Spurs, Danny Ferry advanced from their subterranean level of management to GM of the Cavaliers.

In 2007, Sam Presti, unrecognized at his family dinner table, took a quantum leap from Spurs’ assistant something-or-other to GM of the Thunder (Sonics) franchise. Team owner Clay Bennett had been a San Antonio minority moneyman.

Last week, 30-year-old Rob Hennigan, one of three obscure assistant GMs under Presti, edged Spurs’ VP Dennis Lindsey for the Magic GM position.

Pritchard had withdrawn from the competition a week earlier when he got the word from Bird he had (unofficially) supplanted Morway.

Did I mention Pritchard started his managerial career with the Spurs?

Keeping this matter incestuous, Pistons assistant GM Scott Perry is about to join Hennigan in Orlando, I’m informed, as his faithful working companion. This might be a good spot to note Perry was on Presti’s payroll in Seattle before being hired by Detroit.

To neatly tie the knot on this, Ferry, who had returned to the University of Popovich for a graduate degree upon bolting Cleveland in protest over Mike Brown’s firing, yesterday became the Hawks’ new GM.

Just like Walsh declined to accept Dolan’s (lowball) 2-year offer, desiring one-and-done, existing Hawks GM Rick Sund preferred to re-sign short-term. Ownership wanted someone for the long haul. Thus, Ferry got six years to take over a recurring playoff outfit that attained the Eastern Conference semis three seasons running before this year’s first-round erasure by the Celtics.

Unless the 76ers are determined to fill the vacancy sooner than later, once Sund’s month-more obligation to the Hawks is finished, it figures he’ll try to hook up again with Doug Collins, his coach when he was Pistons GM.

Naturally, had Sund played his cards right, he would’ve studied under Popovich at some point during the last 20-odd years or been quoted exalting his virtuoso. Then filling the Sixers’ opening would be a living lock.

* This just in: An arbitrator has reinstated Charles Barkley’s Cuckoo Bird rights.

Why are the Knicks rejoicing the Jeremy Lin/ Steve Novak decision? It’s not as if it’ll impact next season. The lone thing that would’ve categorically helped is if the arbitrator voided the Carmelo Anthony trade.

James Dolan allowing that to happen? Not on Isiah Thomas’ life!

“Little Jimmy needs to surround himself with fat heads, always has, always will,” emails Hank Keiser, who had some non-shady (non-Slim Shady) dealings with Dolan back when. “The Melo trade had more to do with filling seats at JD’s music venues than winning basketball games. That hasn’t changed.

“It’s not like Marbury Lite’s agents won’t let JD book their stable of entertainers if he dared trade Yellow Melo. No one in the music biz can avoid or snub NY; he just wouldn’t be allowed to book them as often. This hurts him where he hurts the most, at the bottom line … and the photo op.”